Tag Archives: sea life

Every day we see the stories. Whales and turtles and other innocent wild animals in the ocean entangled, entrapped, and encumbered by our carelessness. Nets and fishing line and crab pot ropes are the major culprit. Plastic is another major offender. Beached whales are found with tons of undigested rubbish in their stomachs. One died as a result of a CD jewel case wedged in its blowhole. The numbers are depressing. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, there were 30 unique reports of whale entanglements in 2014 off the West Coast, and despite the best efforts of some brave rescuers, the fates of most were unknown. Something needs to be done before we choke the oceans completely. Here are some good places to start.

File this in the ‘best idea we’ve seen this year’ category. Here’s the gist: a beer brewing company decided to do something about the problem of 6-pack rings. You see, these plastic prisons are the bane of the oceans. One famous picture shows a sea turtle that had been trapped in one of the rings. It must have happened when the turtle was younger and smaller. As the turtle grew, the plastic became a noose around its back, resulting in a deformed and sad-looking little guy. Saltwater Brewery wanted to do their part, so they devised a plan to repurpose the byproducts of the brewing process into a safe, edible substitute for the plastic ring. The result is nothing less than amazing. We’d love to see this technique extended across all industries manufacturing plastic that might end up in the oceans.

Another scourge of the seas are plastic water bottles. It’s both amazing and disheartening just how many of these things are out there, in the environment, clogging up our waterways. Did you know they can take up to 1,000 years to fully decompose? That’s unconscionable. We have to do better, and we have. Actually, Icelandic product designer Ari Jónsson has. He’s developed a design for a better water bottle, one that’s made out of biodegradable algae and decomposes in a matter of weeks. Added bonus: it’s actually edible!

Fishing nets can be devastating to sea life, and many times when a net is lost it is never recovered, only to keep on ‘ghost fishing’ for years and years, capturing sea life and condemning it to a terrible death. Now, thanks to the inventive mind of Alejandro Plasencia, a Barcelona, Spain–based product engineer, the days of ghost fishing may be numbered. Plasencia’s idea is twofold. First, fishing nets are coated with a substance that allows it to break down in the environment after four years. Second, the net is lined with tiny RFID transmitters, so that when it is lost in the first place, it can be recovered instead of just letting it go on its campaign of terror.

Other Sensible approaches:

It’s encouraging to see there are people waking up to the problem of wildlife entanglement, and even more encouraging to see these people are willing to do something about it. The California fishing industry has begun addressing it through the industry-led retrieval of lost crab pots, better gear marking and limits on the number of traps set. Other measures addressing entanglements have included fishery closures in areas where whales are feeding, lines that are designed to break away when a pot or trap catches on a whale, and reducing the number of vertical lines in the water.

No question, pictures can be worth a thousand words. And underwater wildlife pictures can give people who have never ventured into the deep a view into a different world. A world of wonders. A world of diversity. A world of wildlife. Who doesn’t love seeing those brilliant, colorful macro shots of sea horses or a thriving coral reef? And don’t forget that, thanks to underwater photography, we are gaining a better understanding of the pelagic animal and plant species we rarely see from shore. Given all of this, how could I write about photography being a bad thing? Well, I’m not. Photography, especially underwater, is as fantastic as it is valuable. It’s just when the rules are broken that problems occur.

The “Rules”
Seek and ye shall find many different websites that delineate the proper etiquette for taking pictures of wildlife in their habitat. While they may vary in their details, most reputable sites have the same basic rules:
• Learn patterns of animal behavior–know when not to interfere with animals’ life cycles.
• Respect the routine needs of animals–remember that others will attempt to photograph them, too.
• Use appropriate lenses to photograph wild animals–if an animal shows stress, move back and use a longer lens. (My emphasis)
• Acquaint yourself with the fragility of the ecosystem–stay in places that are intended to lessen impact.
(From naturephotographers.net)

While these rules are great, I would add one more, which is to minimize handling your subject as much as possible. In fact, handling them at all should be off limits. I know we all want to get as close as possible to that starfish, and even maybe give it just a little nudge to straighten out its legs. Don’t do it. Touching, prodding, carrying, or handling the animal even a little can harm, even kill it. You wouldn’t want to destroy that beautiful living organism just to get a photo, would you?

The Bad Old Times
There was a time when we didn’t have these rules, and the sea life suffered for it. I’ve read stories about how SCUBA pioneer Jacques Cousteau would routinely handle fish and other wild animals so his documentary cameras could record favorable angles and shots. Sometimes the animals would be stressed by the experience. Cousteau was looking at the big picture, thinking that if one or two animals had to be harmed in order for people to understand the need for ocean conservation, then he was willing to make that tradeoff. Of course, much has changed since then

What about Flash Strobes?
Recently there have been ripples in the water (pardon the pun) about underwater photographers harming wildlife with their high intensity strobe lights. Accusations have been leveled that the bright lights cause undue stress to some of the more sensitive species. But those accusations were all based on anecdotal evidence, not empirical science. One an actual scientific study was performed (on sea horses), it was discovered that flash photography isn’t the cause of harm to sea horses. Handling them was.

So the moral of the story is go ahead, snap away. Take as many pictures of wildlife underwater that you want. Just keep those hands off.